Walking Down Memory Lane and Making New Alleys
by IfritDemon666
Summary: Malon's birthday is coming up and she wants Link to take her out. What could a week in Clock Town bring for them? There are some who Link would love to see again and for Malon to meet, but there are those who aren't so enthusiastic. Most definitely a lemon coming up! XD Currently being edited, read latest chapter for info.
1. Day I

**Soooooooooo, this is my absolute first story, and I need help. If it turns out all weird with the format or something, please please please please tell me. If you want to critique me, go ahead. If it sucks b*lls, tell me, shout at me. I'll only thank you.**

**And a couple more notes, this is a kind've an Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask fic. Link, and Malon go and visit Clock Town and Link meets a lot of old friends. I changed a few small things so my story would fit together a little better and here they are,**

**The credits show Anju and Kafei getting married-Didn't happen,**

**Link is going to be around seventeen in this fic so Malon and Romani aged. Cremia and Lulu and most of the other characters don't,**

**The beach isn't infested with tectites and other monsters,**

**The Goron you steal the reservation from is Darunia's son,**

**Link doesn't lose his masks.**

**Malon has a new horse named Eponin (rip-off from Epona I know)**

**There is a new way to reach Clock Town and it's through Termina Field,**

**Sorry if I missed anything.**

**Like I said, correct me, critique me, insult me, flame me, it'll only make my day.**

**One last thing, people are always showing disclaimers and saying don't sue me sooooo, just for the safety of what little money I have, I don't own anything of The Legend of Zelda games.**

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><p>It was a beautiful day on Lon Lon Ranch and Link had just finished a jumping course with Epona. He had been thinking about going to visit Clock Town, he hadn't been there since the moon had almost fallen from the sky. It was one of his strangest adventures, being caught in a seemingly never ending loop. So many things were happening at once, he remembered going to help people over and over again to figure out how to save that Goddess-forsaken place. It almost upset him having to meet all of his friends over and over again because they couldn't remember him. But it was over now and he didn't have to worry about that.<p>

He was just about to leave the Ranch when Malon ran out, apparently she finished milking the cows. Link didn't know how she could've though, the task had been given to her less than 10 minutes ago.

"Hey Link, where are you going?" she called.

"Oh, I was just about to head to Clock Town," Link couldn't fathom why Malon could care, she'd been all over Hyrule, whether her father liked it or not.

She looked at him with a small frown, "Where's that? Never mind, dad wants me to leave the house for a couple of days and I was wondering if I could go with you."

Link scratched the back of his head and underneath his ever present hat, "I don't know, Malon, it's out of Hyrule."

"Oh please?" she looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I don-" Link tried to say but Malon interrupted him, oh why did everyone always interrupt him?

"Oh come on Link, I'll be O.K. with you."

"Why does your dad want you to leave the Ranch anyways?" Link asked with an exasperated tone.

"My guess is he wants to set up a surprise for my birthday."

"Your birthday isn't for another week."

"Yeah," she responded with an "as a matter of fact" voice.

"All right but we're going to be gone for more than a couple of days," said Link. He decided to make the best of it, for Malon's sake and his sake. Besides, it might be fun.

"Yay, just let me get Eponin!" Malon said as she ran to the large pen in the middle of the Ranch.

Link waited patiently for Malon to go and retrieve her horse. _This will be interesting having Malon meet everyone in Clock Town. Maybe I should take her to see Romani and Cremia. I'll bet she'd like them._ Link was so lost in thought he didn't notice Malon ride up next to him on her beautiful chestnut horse with a black mane.

"Come on, Hero, let's get going! I wanna go see Clllloooock Toooooowwwwwn" she said testing the name on her tongue. Malon then burst into a fit of giggles when Link made a face at her, he joined her laughter a second later.

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><p>A few hours later, Malon and Link were riding through a shady little forest in silence. At least until Malon broke it saying with a bored voice,<p>

"Are we there yet?"

"We're getting there Malon, by the way, would rather go see Clock Town or Romani Ranch first?" Link asked turning back to look at her. Since Malon didn't know how to get there, Link had been leading the way ever since they left Hyrule field.

"Let's go see Clock Town first, I live on a ranch too, they can't be too different," Malon replied after a small pause. Link smiled to himself, _Malon sure will be surprised._

"All right, now we're at Termina Field. By the way, make sure you always run fast here, there's a bird that will snatch anything he can," said Link. He didn't think Malon's father would be too happy if he found out Link had allowed them to get robbed.

"A bird?" asked Malon with an incredulous expression, but unfortunately Link wasn't there to see it because he was several paces ahead of Malon at a fast gallop.

She followed Link all the way to an entrance to a big stone wall where Link jumped off Epona and waited patiently for Eponin to catch up.

"What was with leaving me back there?" cried Malon with feigned anger. "And why'd you get off Epona?" she said, this time sounding confused.

Link answered her with a grin, "Well I did warn you didn't I, and they don't let horses inside the town." He wasn't too worried, Epona was an amazingly strong horse. It even surprised Link sometimes, and he new she would protect Eponin to the best of her abilities, even if Termina Field was a bit more hazardous than in Hyrule.

"Well then what are we gonna do with them?" Malon asked looking worried for her two favorite horses in the world.

"Don't worry Epona knows her way around, they'll be fine," Link said trying to reassure Malon.

"Oh. O.K. If you say so," Malon still looked apprehensive.

"It's alright, now let's go inside," replied Link with a cheerful voice. He couldn't wait to see all of his old friends.

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><p>As soon as Link entered the South Clock Town Gate, he spotted Anju, a girl he knew worked at her mother's Inn. Anju was fine but he didn't like her mother very much, he remembered she tried to make her forget about Kafei. In fact Anju and Kafei had been one of his biggest motivations to saving Clock Town, after helping them all the way to the 3rd day and seeing how devoted they were to each other. Link couldn't wait to see Kafei again.<p>

"Hey Anju! Anjuuuuuuu," he tried to shout over the noise. Fortunately, she heard him.

"Oh hello Link, how have you been," she said after she ran over an hugged him.

Something seemed off, but Link couldn't tell what. _She seems happy to see me, but she has a sad look about her eyes. _He looked at her, grinned and said,

"Fine. By the way, Anju, this is Malon, Malon, Anju."

They shook hands but Anju paused and took a closer look at Malon.

"Link, you're not trying to pull the wool over my eyes, are you? This looks a lot like Romani," Anju asked.

"Hah, don't worry Anju, I'm not lying. Malon is from Hyrule," replied Link, he hadn't seen Romani for a while but they couldn't look that similar.

Malon was looking a little confused, but she decided to vouch for Link,

"I don't who Romani is, but I assure you Link is telling the truth."

"Well, O.K." said Anju with a small smile, she then turned to Link and said,

"It really is nice to see you again Link, it must be 6 or 7 years now, right?" she had a whistful look in her eyes.

"Thanks Anju, yup 7 years, sorry I haven't visited sooner. I was worried you might have forgotten me," Link joked. He was still trying to figure out why she looked so sad.

"Oh you don't have to worry about that Link, you're the one who saved this town, how could anyone forget," Anju gave him another small but somehow detached smile.

"So how's Kafei?" he tried to change the subject. He didn't really feel comfortable talking about his adventures. He wasn't really the same when he was fighting to save the "worlds".

Immediately Anju's smile faded and her eyes teared up, "He... He's dead Link."

"Wait, what? How did he die Anju? What happened?" Link looked almost angry hearing about Kafei's death. But he got a hold of himself and started comforting Anju.

"There, there Anju. I'm so sorry." He really hadn't meant to shout like that. He pulled her into a friendly hug. Link knew Kafei had been a kid when he left, but, their love had been so strong. It sounded so cruel hearing that they'd been torn apart.

"No, it's alright Link. He, Kafei and I were out for a walk and a couple of thugs..." she couldn't continue because the tears were falling too fast now.

"Hey it's O.K. Anju... I've got a great idea. Malon, let's go to Romani Ranch now, I'm sure Anju here would love to see Cremia," Link gave Anju a smile.

"It'll be fun!"

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><p>When they arrived at Romani Ranch, Link dismounted Epona and helped Anju off. Malon also got off Eponin and put an arm around Anju to console her. She was still crying but not nearly as loudly as before, and she was glad to be seeing Cremia again. She hadn't gone to greet her friend in a while.<p>

Link, after making sure Anju was O.K., ran over to the house and knocked on the door. Romani answered and Link was shocked to see how much she really did look like Malon, though his always stoic face prevented Romani from seeing his surprise. Link recalled that Romani always called him Grasshopper because he hadn't told her his name, though now that he thought about it, Cremia probably told her his real name by now. They had also played a big role in motivating him to the finish. How Cremia knew what was going to happen and Romani and her innocent mind had no clue._ Ignorance is bliss_, he supposed.

After realizing who it was, Romani immediately swung her arms around Link's neck and gave him a big hug,

"Grasshopper, where have you been all this time, I missed you?" she practically shouted. Link hugged her back for a moment then said,

"Hey Romani, it's nice to see you again. Where's Cremia, Anju's here and she isn't feeling too swell," catching up could wait, he was here for Anju's sake, even if he had planned on visiting a couple of days from now.

"Oh that's right, poor Anju. I suppose Kafei had to come up again sometime. Of course Cremia and I will cheer her up for a bit. She's in the barn, I'll go get her."

Link headed back towards Malon and Anju and stood by them while they waited. He was just noticing how dark it was getting when not more than a second later, Cremia came out running with Romani close behind her. She ran right up to Link and greeted him in the same way as Romani. Malon couldn't help but notice all the hugs he was getting, and how he hugged everyone back.

Cremia then went to Anju and gave her a back-breaking embrace.

"You really need to get your mother to give you more time off," she said.

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><p><strong>Terrible ending, I know, but I had to stop this chapter somewhere.<strong>

**I did the best I could. **


	2. Day II

**Yay, new chapter. Soooo, once again doing my best here. I know some people do this thing where they don't upload posts because they want reviews, but I'm not gonna be an asshole.**

**(No offense intended)**

**Enjoy.**

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><p>"Thank you so much Cremia, I'm sorry for not coming to visit. I guess I just tried to bury myself and forget everyone. To be honest, I've had several opportunities to come by," Anju confessed to her friend.<p>

"It's fine Anju, I meant to go visit you a few times but... I was worried you might... I don't know, I'm just so sorry. I can't even imagine what you're going through, but if ever you need to come on by. You're always welcome, day or night, no matter what your mother says," replied Cremia, and she meant it. She loved her friend so much. She was so happy to see Link had come back, and even after all he had done for them, he still only wanted to help.

"Oh! I completely forgot about mother. She's probably so worried," cried Anju.

"I'll explain what happened to her, Anju, don't worry," said Link, once again trying to console her. After a lot of crying, hello's and dinner, Anju, Link and Malon spent the night at Romani Ranch. It turned out Link was right about Malon being surprised about the Ranch's layout, when she really got to look at it. He had also been right about Malon getting along with Romani and Cremia. Especially with Romani, they stayed up very late talking.

"How about I go with you guys, you know, as proof. Anju's mother isn't known for being very trusting," suggested Romani. She had just been thinking about what Anju's mother thought of Kafei and how she never liked him.

"Umm, sure. Good idea Romani," replied Link. He really didn't think it was necessary, but all the girls got along so well he figured it'd be O.K. He turned to get Epona ready for the nearly 2 hour long ride when he heard a "yesss" ripple through the girls behind him. He smiled at their childishness, he was happy to get away from all of the fighting that he had, sadly, grown used to.

Malon went over to Eponin while Romani headed to her horse, Link. The name only accentuated Malon's realization of just how much he was adored around here. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised though, he was a hero here as well, at least from what she had heard last night. Apparently Link could put on masks and change his form, which he had somehow blatantly forgot to inform her about. He had also saved 4 Giants who pushed the Moon back into the sky and he could travel in time. Malon shook her head, how could Link regard these things as normal, everyday activities. It all sounded so foreign and strange, but then to her excitement on the Ranch was someone dropping by for directions. But even that rarely happened simply because in Hyrule Field you could see damn near everything.

When Epona, Eponin and Link were all prepped for their journey, Malon, Romani, Anju and the other Link all waved good-bye to Cremia. Seeing her friend had really brightened Anju's spirits and she, for once, wasn't worried about her mother blowing up at her for being tardy. She was just happy to see Link again and meeting her new friend Malon. _Malon really is sweet, she's a lot like Romani as well. They both even gave Link nick-names. Grasshopper and Fairy Boy._ She smiled and shook her head, _Link really is good with the ladies._

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><p>Malon and Romani were all excited about going to Clock Town and giggling and chattering amongst themselves.<p>

"I have only been to Clock Town once, that was the year when the cows were milking so good we made enough money to go spend the day there for the festival," said Romani, recalling the times she had had with her sister.

"Oh really, what's it like? I was there for less than 5 minutes and the most I saw was a lot of people," replied Malon. They were both so excited, Link was too. Even though Kafei had passed, he wasn't about to let anything put a damper on his spirits. He just wanted to enjoy meeting his old friends again. When he saw how much fun Malon was having, he knew she was going to love the rest of their little adventure. They only had 5 more days before they had to return for her birthday, and they were going to make the most of it.

"Ooooooohhhh look! We're almost there," squealed Romani. She and Malon had whispered up a plan and they couldn't wait to put it in action. After learning Link could change form, they were fully motivated to corner and even force him into demonstrating this for them.

No matter how creepy it seemed...

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><p>Almost as soon as they entered Southern Clock Town, as if she were waiting for them, Anju's mother stormed up to her in a fit of fury.<p>

"And where have you been young lady? Disappearing far an entire day and night without so much as a word of where you were going-" no one bothered to correct the fact that she left very late in the day and that it was currently 7am. Nobody really felt like feeding the flames the angry woman was creating.

"-completely ignoring all of your chores and forgetting-" again they were ignoring the fact that they caught her right after her shift was over and her mother really didn't need her until the next morning anyways.

The rant went on for a good 5 minutes before Link decided to intervene, he figured he had given the bit- witch enough time to get her point out.

"Ma'am-" began Link, only to be interrupted.

"That's Mrs. Tortus to you young man!" the woman practically shouted.

"I apologize Mrs. Tortus, it was entirely my fault for Anju's disappearance, and I will take full responsibility for my actions. I asked about Kafei and the flood-gates opened. I was only trying to cheer her up by taking her to visit Romani and Cremia," explained Link, trying to be as thorough and polite as he could.

"I'm proof," Romani called out, despite its not being a neccesity.

"Oh, well. I'm sorry Anju about Kafei but you need to realize-" Mrs. Tortus was walking away with Anju at this point. She turned, gave a small wave and smiled her thanks before her mother pulled her into the Stock Pot Inn.

_That could've gone better, _thought Link. _But then it could have also been worse. _He then realized how quiet Malon and Romani were being and turned around to investigate. They were both grinning in a rather unnerving manner.

"Soooo, Link, we here you can change forms by putting on certain masks," started Malon.

"Oh no, guys, please-" started Link only to be interrupted once again.

"And we want to see," finished Romani.

"I don't want to make a show of-"

"How about we make him turn into a Zora first," suggested Malon.

"Or no a Goron," squealed Romani.

"Ooohhh, good idea! Link turn into a Goron!"

"Yeah a Goron! Come on Grasshopper! Please, please, pleeeeeaaaaasssseeeee!"

"Alright, Alright, Fine!" shouted Link over their pleading. He pulled the Gorons mask from his ever-present haversack, shot them a dirty look, and braced himself for the pain to come. He put on his mask and the transformation began. Him doubling over in pain, than leaning back and screaming. The girls were shocked, they hadn't even considered it would hurt Link. They just thought he be human, then Goron, the process left them aghast.

At least until it was over.

Link was at least a foot taller and 2 feet wider. With his white hair, weird design on his belly, and drums hanging off his back, they wouldn't have believed it was Link had they not witnessed the transformation. They had started squealing and shouting their "oh my Goddesses" when suddenly Link was swamped with a big Goron hug.

"Darmani-goro! Good friend, how come you didn't tell me you were in town-goro?" said Link-goro.** (I know that's just a speech tic, but I had to specify who was talking.) **

"Hello Link, I actually only just got here yesterday. How have you been? And, oh, how's Darunia? I haven't seen him in a while," replied Link while winking at Romani and Malon. He loved their confused expressions, he figured he'd have to explain this later.

"Oh he's been fine-goro. Listen-goro, I wish I could stay but I've got a lot of business-goro to catch up on-goro so I'll see you later-goro. Bye the way-goro, we've got rain later tonight-goro," replied Link-goro in jokingly, but hurried manner. He was obviously very busy.

Malon and Romani stared at him for a couple of seconds before they started hammering him with questions.

"Who is Darmani and Darunia and why is his name Link?" they shouted in unison after a couple of minutes of random jibberish.

Link smiled "Darmani was a hero to the Gorons in the Goron Shrine as was Darunia for Death Mountain in Hyrule. Darunia is also Link's father whom of which he named after me," answered Link as though it were the most common thing in the world. He then took off the mask figuring the girls had had enough of his Goron manliness.

Suddenly Malon broke the silence,

"Does it hurt to transform like that?" asked Malon in a rather innocent tone, unusual for her.

Link thought about how excruciating it was, he didn't get hurt easy, but every time he switched a mask he screamed in agony. He thought about feeling his bones, stretching and bending, and even changing into wood for the scrub. He thought about curling up as a Goron, and throwing himself against walls. He thought about turning into a Zora, and that choking and unfamiliar feeling of the water pressure. He thought about the Deku Scrub, and burying himself into flowers and jumping high in the air and being shot at by enemies. He thought about Malon.

"No, not really."

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><p>It was getting late and the 3 had done a lot and were getting tired. After meeting Link-goro, Link had brought them to Northern Clock Town and introduced them to Tingle. He then showed them the Fairy Fountain and the trick he could do with the Keaton Mask, spin attack and bushes. He also did a demonstration with the Deku Scrub by launching himself out of a flower. Link also told Malon and Romani about the mini-game, but then he felt kind of bad that he got them excited over something that they couldn't do.<p>

It was 7pm and Romani needed to get Back to Romani Ranch, whether she wanted to or not. She said her good-byes and made them promise to visit again before they left. After that, Link and Malon decided to call it a night. They went to the Stock Pot Inn and met Anju at the desk,

"Hey Anju, is the Knife Chamber occupied? Malon and I need a room to stay in for the night," asked Link. He then noticed Malon's incredulous expression, he winked at her.

"Always open for you Link," she replied. "That'll be 50 rupees for the both of you."

Malon was aghast at the price, she and Talon, her father, hardly made 50 rupees a month but Link was paying it as though he had thousands more in that wallet of his.

When they went upstairs, Malon realized that the "Knife Chamber " was just a normal room. She was, however, slightly disappointed there were 2 beds. Though a lady like her would never speak that out loud.

"Why are there 2 beds?"

"Why wouldn't there be?"

"Just wondering," answered Malon. She walked over to were Link was unloading all of his gear and gave him a hug.

"Thanks for taking me along Link. I've had a lot of fun so far and we haven't even begun yet!" she gave Link a big grin, then headed towards her bed on the right.

Though he didn't show it, Link was fully aware of how much he attracted women. What he hadn't figured out yet, was preventing that attraction. It wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Malon was right though, the fun had just begun.

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><p><strong>Thank Goddesses that's over with... I mean "What'd you think?"<strong>

***Overly excited smile* **

**This really is fun though, I like giving Link a personality.**


	3. Day III Part I

**Sorry it's been taking me so long, there really is no excuse so I'm just going to let you read this chapter no more babbling...**

**Sorry...**

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><p>When Malon woke up she saw that Link was already awake, probably force of habit due to his adventurous life-style. He was reading something she guessed must have been on the table-top, though she hadn't noticed it the night before.<p>

She sat up and immediately Link looked over at her and smiled. _Very reflexive_, she noticed.

"Good morning Malon. Would you rather see more of Clock Town today, or go to Great Bay Beach?" Link questioned.

"Hmmmm, that's a tough one," replied Malon in a sarcastic tone, "Of course the beach!"

He grinned along with Malon, "Alright, and while we're there, I'll show you my Zora form."

"O.K., but first I think you should tell me if you have any other alternate identities," said Malon, trying to tease Link.

"Heh, only Mikau. He was a part of a band for the Indigo-Go's, I don't know why people mistake us for each other, we don't look that much alike," said Link.

"Oh really," replied Malon, trying to hold back a laugh, "what about the originals? What do they think of you taking their identities?"

Link's smile vanished, "they're dead... Darmani and Mikau."

"Oh Link, I'm sorry..." apologized Malon.

"It's fine, you didn't know... So do you wanna eat first, or just get going," asked Link.

"Ummm, I don't know what do you think?"

"Let's just go, I'm sure we could visit Zora Hall, but then again I don't know if you'd like what they eat," said Link while thinking out loud.

Malon laughed, "I'm sure I'll manage."

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><p>Later when Link and Malon were on the beach, after walking and talking (mostly Malon complaining about Ingo falling more in pace with his old self) Malon asked Link,<p>

"Hey! I thought you were gonna show me Zora Link," cried Malon after a small pause.

Link laughed nervously, "Oh yeah..." He had just seen Lulu in the distance and was a little worried. She didn't really like him when he first acted as Mikau, but, he guessed, when Mikau's personality changed and he helped her, she developed a full-fledged crush and it was honestly kind of creepy.

"Come on Link! Turn into a Zora, you promised!"

Link, knowing Malon could be just as "persuasive" without Romani, pulled out his Zora mask and put it on.

Malon was especially surprised when she saw this new transformation (she had kind of a thing for Zora's.) Her thoughts were cut off when a blue figure, wearing a blue dress pushed past her. Malon was about to point out how impolite that was when she saw yet another women hugging Link. Well, not exactly, she was actually holding onto his arm very tightly and asking him where he'd been all these years and saying how he hadn't changed a bit. Malon was really getting irritated and then she noticed Link's sheepish expression.

"Malon, this is Lulu... Lu-" Link was attempting to wrench his arm from her grasp, "lu, this is Malon," she was paying no attention whatsoever. After gently (this is why it was taking so long) prying her off of his limb, he said,

"It's nice to see you too Lulu."

"Li- Mikau, why didn't you tell me about Lulu?" interrogated Malon.

"Uh, it must've slipped my mind... Sorry," replied Link in a truly apologetic, if sheepish, voice.

"Oh Mikau you just have to show me that trick again! The one you do with your fins," Lulu was begging "Mikau" to show off and it was really starting to annoy Malon.

"Yeah Mikaauuu," Malon was trying to drag his name to irritate Link, "Why don't you show US the trick."

Malon understood what was going on. She knew how easy it was to fall for Link, or in this case Mikau, but it really irked her that he wasn't doing anything about it. The way it looked to Malon was he was trying to urge these girls on. First it had been Anju, the poor widow who truly admired Link, then it was Romani (she had admitted her crush on him to Malon) then Cremia almost seducing him all throughout dinner, and now it was a love-sick Zora who seemed to have a complete infatuation with Li-Mikau.

Malon swore to herself it wasn't jealousy.

"Uhhhh," Link was really confused as to what to do. He hadn't expected to see Lulu. Her obsession with him had urged him on to go back to Hyrule. When he had come back he didn't know she would react this way.

"Come on Mikau! Please, pleeeaaaassseee!" Link was trying to refuse but Lulu was having none of it.

"You, human girl! Go set up to pots over there so Mikau can show us the trick," that had done it for Malon._ Human girl. Boy Link sure knew how to pick em'. How could he just stand by and let Little Miss Blueberry tell me what to do? _Malon's mood was already dark, but it got pitch black when she saw another Zora latch on Link's left arm. This one was naked!

"Ohhhhh Link darling, so nice to see you again."

_Oh Goddess, Din must be trying to kill him. Now Ruto was here trying to woo him. Malon's mood was scary enough without my 'betrothed' making it worse..._

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><p><strong>I was going to try to make this fic 7 chapters, one chapter for each day in Clock Town, but this was my third time pulling up this chapter to write in it and I thought it would be fun to just make it a part I part II deal...<strong>

**Now you'll have to come back for more! XD**

**(I'm screwed, I don't know what else to write from here...) **


	4. Day III Part II

**I'll be honest, in the beginning I had absolutely no intention to bring Ruto into this fic. But since I wrote and posted a chapter with her in it there's no going back. **

**Here are a few explanations for things I'm sure you noticed,**

**Link was Mikau but Ruto still knew he was Link... I'm going to say that being a princess, Ruto has many sources following Link around to find what he's doing when he's doing it. Therefore she knew about the Clock Town endeavor. Even though the spies were just as oblivious to the time travel as Malon was. (The only reason Romani and Cremia knew was they got Link drunk and made him tell them.) (O.o) (Good Lord, where did that come from!)**

**Lulu thinks "Link" is Ruto's nick-name for him.**

**And Ruto retained her creepy attitude around Link like the time when he saved her from Jabu Jabu's belly.**

**It didn't really make it through my thick skull that I put Ruto in the story until someone told me that they laughed out loud at the end. I then went through and reread my story. I also laughed out loud, then realized I had no idea where to go from there.**

**But alas, here you go, I figured out what to write and I certainly hope you like it.**

**Enjoy.**

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><p>Link was at a loss. Malon was glaring and shouting, Lulu was swooning and begging and Ruto was (attempting) seducing and adoring. He had never been in a situation as dire as this before. One step on the wrong ground could get his head sliced off. Figuratively. Which in his case was worse than literally because he would have known what to do in a situation like that! Link was so confused that he did the thing he did best.<p>

He yelled.

It was a habit he thought he had long gotten rid of, but here he was, shouting over their incessant babbling. The girls were at a loss for words. Link took this moment of silence and used to his advantage.

"Lulu, I'm busy right now. Maybe I'll show the trick in a day or two but right now I'm here with Malon. Ruto, as I said I'm busy. You and I can talk anytime later, but frankly, I don't see Malon as often as I like already. Don't take up anymore of my free time for right now. I'll talk to you and Lulu later." Link was so polite and kind about it that the two Zora's couldn't have been angry if they wanted to be. Which they really, really did. If the yell had left them silent, those words made the three mute.

Link took Malon by the shoulder and led her away from the beach. He'd had enough.

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><p>As soon as they exited the beach Link took off his mask, took out his Ocarina and played Epona's song. He knew the melody would soothe Malon and, frankly, he didn't know what else to do anyways.<p>

When he put the ocarina back in his haversack, Malon finally spoke,

"Link... Did you really mean all of that? What you said back there?" she asked.

He smiled, "Of course I did. You know I don't lie. There are times when I just don't speak up and people get the wrong idea but I have never spoken a lie before." Just as he finished talking Epona and Eponin ran up.

"I'm sorry the beach didn't go as well you hoped but I'll try to make it up to you. What would you like to do next?" Link asked. He really hadn't expected a disaster like that to come from bringing Malon to Clock Town.

"I don't know. I guess I'd like to here you play some more... Yes, that would be nice," replied Malon, she realized Link hadn't been urging those girls on._ I never knew Link had really cared about me that much, _thought Malon.

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><p>Back in South Clock Town things were quieting down as shops were closing up. Link jumped on top of one of his favorite stands where he would often sit and pretend he belonged in this town. Pretend he was a normal boy waiting for the festival and counting down the hours. Forgetting, if only for a moment, that it wasn't up to him to stop the moon from falling. He pulled Malon up next to him, then pulled out his ocarina. He started by playing Epona's song.<p>

Malon couldn't help but sing along. After they finished that song, Link played Zelda's Lullaby. Malon still sang along, never missing a note even though she'd never heard the song before.

It was so beautiful. Link's expert playing. Malon's gorgeous singing. The two soon had a crowd of people watching and listening. Everyone was so unused to such soothing music. They were all mesmerized. It wasn't until Honey and Darling actually started dancing such an enchanting dance that young couples, old couples and children were all twirling together in harmony to the music. Almost everyone in town came.

Malon was lost in the music. It seemed as though no one else was there except for Link. She stopped singing for a moment and looked at him. His eyes were closed as he played every single note with ease on his light blue ocarina. _He, _Malon noticed,_ sways with the music as though dancing along in his own way. _She looked at his strong jaw and high cheek bones. Her eyes wondered past his long lashes and pointed ears to his blond bangs peeking out of his long, green, pointed hat. It was as though it were his signature article. Malon had never seen Link without his hat.

Suddenly Link's eyes flickered open and looked at Malon. She jumped, then realized she had stopped singing. He stared at her for a moment as though trying to tell her something. She concentrated hard, trying to figure out what it was. Then just as quickly as he opened them, Link shut his beautiful blue eyes.

Malon slid closer to him and leaned on his shoulder. As soon as she joined his swaying rhythm, Malon started singing again. Pouring her heart into every note as she tried to make her voice worthy of Link's Ocarina.

Normally other musicians would have joined in the song but they were all experienced enough to realize this music was perfect. Any other instrument would have tainted its beauty.

The music, singing and dancing went on long into the night...

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><p><strong>I really hadn't expected to right something like this when I pulled up wordpad to finally finish another chapter... Sorry it was so short.<strong>

**Anywaaaaays, I figured out a system that will work for me to regularly post chapters. You can expect a knew chapter every weekend at the very least. Anything sooner is just an unexpected bonus.**

**Chao! XD**


	5. Day IV Part I

**I WAS going to go to bed early tonight but my mind just HAD to find inspiration from my brother's snoring, so here you go! Unexpected surprise! Early chapter!**

**I hope you enjoy it 'cause I'm to exhausted to...**

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><p>Link had been awake for a couple of hours while Malon was on his right sleeping fitfully. Though Link still got up earlier than usual, it had been months since he had slept that well. His nights were usually laced with nightmares that reinforced his habit if sleeping like wolf. Wolves often sleep only hours at a time before they're on the move again. Link had adopted that custom on accident really. One night after an awful nightmare, Link just couldn't bear the thought of lying down and facing his dreams again. So he set out again and he learned to keep going day or night, no matter how tired he was he would sleep only an hour before he naturally woke himself up.<p>

Usually anyways, but last night had done something strange to him and he felt so relaxed. Malon and him would've been there all night had it not started raining. Link smiled to himself, _I guess Link-goro was right, it had rained yesterday._

Link looked at the clock to the left of the door. _It's only 10. Malon's going to be asleep for a while... I wonder..._

* * *

><p>Link had left as quietly as he could, so as not to wake Malon. Not that it was any difficult though. Even though Malon was a very light sleeper, Link was still a master of stealth.<p>

He went downstairs to (luckily) see Anju at the front desk.

"Good morning Link." He smiled his own greeting then said,

"Anju, as Malon has probably already told you, her birthday is coming up. Do you have any suggestion as to where to go to by her gift? I'd go to the Curiosity Shop but I wouldn't feel to good about giving her overpriced stolen goods," he said it with a good-natured smile but the man who ran that shop really did disgust him.

Anju giggled, "I understand. I don't th-... Wait, now that I think about it, there has been some rumors about a strange person who set up a shop in Zora Hall. Maybe you could find something for her their. OH WAIT! I'm sorry. I'm pretty sure that the person only sells to Zoras. I heard someone complaining about that and... I'm sorry Link..."

Link smiled, _Anju really has a big heart. I'd tell her that wasn't a problem but I'm pretty sure she knows and just forgot._

"It's O.K. I'm sure I'll manage," said Link with a grin. "If Malon wakes up would keep her company... Oh and um, don't tell her why I left. I want to surprise her."

Anju bowed and said, "Don't worry Link, your secret is safe with me."

And once again, Link was out on a quest.

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><p>It hadn't taken him to long to reach Zora Hall. He just had to call Epona and two horses were running in the distance toward him. When he had gotten there Link put on his Zora's mask. If the person who opened up shop wanted a Zora, that's what Link would give him.<p>

As soon as Link entered the large room, he found the surprisingly small stall. The room was less inhabited than usual. He walked over to take a look and see if he could find anything for Malon. It was funny. He didn't see anyone behind the stall. Of course he had no intention of taking anything without paying first.

The counter top was littered with all kinds of strange objects. He saw a small golden ring with two faces side by side. It looked like they were screaming. Something about it repelled Link, so he moved on.

Next he saw what had looked like a ruby butterfly, but when he bent over for a closer look it changed. It wasn't a butterfly anymore, it was blood red flames leaping up out of the carving. Link almost shivered, it had almost creeped him out.** (Not an easy feat mind you.)** He backed away and quickly moved on.

He saw several more rings and necklesses and objects strange or special in there own way, but none of it seemed right for Malon.

"Looking for something?"

Link jumped and looked up. He, and his excellent hearing, were not at all aware of this person who had suddenly appeared behind the stall.

The person was as strange as his objects. Link, for the life of himself, couldn't tell if it was a male or female. The somewhat human looking creature in front of him was wearing a baggy red shirt with a blue vest and khaki pants, had long hair, and no gender defining feature at all. He would have looked almost normal except for one other thing that was throwing Link off.

His eyes.

"Many interesting things, I know," the person had neither a deep or high voice, it just sounded neutral. "But I should warn you, even if you do find something you like, I only sell to Zora's."

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><p><strong>Oh Yeah! Plot twist! Happy now imagination! Can I sleep now! Wynn stopped snoring! Will you leave me alone!<strong>

**O.K... Anyways, I know you're probably pissed about the part one part two thing kicking in but I assure you the next chapter will be up before I forget my brilliant idea.**

**Oh, and for those of you wondering, Link is still wearing his Zora mask. I may kinda want to tell you why but that would just ruin the next chapter. XD**


	6. Day IV Part II

**I'm so sorry everyone. Nothing's been going right recently. First I got a virus, then my computer got a virus and my dad had a heart-attack and it's just been so awful. I promised someone this would be a long chapter, but I regret to say this is the best I could do. Forgive me...**

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><p>Link gaped. <em>How in the world did this person know he wasn't Mikau? No one he knew could see through the disguises!<em> Link was frantic but he got a hold of himself.

"Excuse me, of course I am a Zora," he said. He then thought to himself, _right now at least. But this guy doesn't know that._

The person gave Link a bitter smile and said,

"Those Zora's out there may be dim enough to believe you're Mikau, but that only shows just how little they truly thought of him. You shouldn't just go around pretending to be someone you aren't, Link. You'll only get yourself hurt."

Link was confused and worried, and frankly, a little annoyed. This guy- girl- THING in front of him had know clue how much these people had cared for Mikau. Link had been the one to hear Mikau's last words- or lyrics... Not this guy.

"How would you know about what they thought of Mikau? They were his friends. Lulu and the Indigo Go's have proven it to me," he said.

"They like YOU, Link. It's just Mikau's shell you're wearing. Literally. You never saw Mikau with them, all you saw of Mikau was him crawling out of the water and singing."

The guy looked... Creepy. Link couldn't explain it, his eyes were flashing and they looked angry and upset, but the rest of his face and posture said nothing. This genderless person was confusing Link to no end. How did he even know Link's name in the first place?

"Who are you and what do you care? How do you know how Mikau died? How do you know my _name_? I was just coming to buy a gift for my friend but you're making it so difficult, buying stolen goods from the Curiousity Shop would be simpler," said Link, his frustration apparent.

"You can call me Alva, I know many things that would surprise you. And about Malon's gift, you should go to the Observatory," He said coolly.

"Why should I listen to you?" questioned Link, "It's not like you've given me any reason to trust you so far."

"I just assumed you didn't want to back to her empty-handed," He said. Alva then snapped the fingers on his right hand and what looked like sparks appeared out of nowhere. They didn't go out though, they multiplied, swirling around him... Alva.

"You have no reason to worry, Link. Not yet," said Alva before he disappeared in bright white flash of light. His voice echoed in the large empty room, the water on the floor eccentuating it.

"Good Goddess, what was that?" whispered Link to himself.

He looked at the stand in front him with distaste. All of its objects had disappeared along with their owner. Link's mind was swirling with questions._ How did he know about Mikau? And Malon's gift? What role does or did he play in Mikau's life?_

Link wasn't sure what possessed him to go to the Observatory. It might have been Alva's words. It might have been, as Alva said, not going back empty-handed... He just didn't know, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw...

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><p><strong>Once again I apologize, I really meant to do better than this piece of crap but here you go. Tell me if you see mistakes or if you want to insult me, it's greatly appreciated and would make me feel so much better right now. <strong>


	7. Day IV Part III

**Here you go, a long awaited chapter. I hope you like it. :)**

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><p>Malon's night had been laced with dreams she really didn't want to describe in detail. Some were rather erotic and she was somewhat ashamed for dreaming them. When she looked around the room and noticed Link's absence, she decided to see if he was downstairs.<p>

"Hello Anju, how are you this morning?" Malon greeted.

"Oh, hi Malon, It's been fine. In case you were wondering, Link left say," Anju looked at the clock, "three hours ago. He said he wanted to go get something and to keep you company."

"Where did he go?" questioned the farm-girl.

"I'm not sure, he may have gone to Zora Hall." Anju had yet to remember Link could change forms.

"Why didn't he wake me?"

_Sheesh it's getting difficult to hide Link's motives_, thought Anju. "I don't know. He wanted to keep it a secret. My shift's almost over, do you wanna go and do something fun?"

"Ummm, sure," said Malon somewhat amused. She could tell Anju was trying to hide something and that she was doing her best not to give out any information. She was also wondering what Anju did for fun besides hitching a ride every other week to Romani Ranch.

"Alright, what would you like to do?" Malon asked.

"Well I hear you like to practice with your bow and arrow. Why don't we go to the Shooting Gallery?" asked Anju with an amazingly spot on idea of fun. To Malon, that is.

"That does sound fun! I didn't know you could shoot."

"I can't. But maybe you could teach me," suggested the Inn clerk with a good-natured smile.

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><p><strong>That was pathetically short but I'm saving the good stuff for the next chapter. XDXDXD<strong>


	8. Day IV Part IV

**This chapter is longer, over 6000 words, not including the author's notes. **

**New record, yay~!Read on, hope you enjoy, feedback is appreciated immensely.**

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><p>Link entered the Observatory slowly. He absentmindedly shut the door behind him, and then he looked up. His features twisted in awe at what he saw.<p>

"What... What is this?" he asked out loud, his amazement obvious.

All over the room, covering every surface, were small statues made out of the moon's tears. Even small ornaments were hanging from the telescope, which looked rusted with disuse. They were all very different. He saw flowers, animals, candelabras, instruments, he even saw a scimitar. They all looked very well tended to too. Every one glittering with almost blinding radiance.

Link circled the room, getting an eyeful of each one. He had to watch his step very carefully to ensure that he wouldn't step on any of the ornaments that laid on the floor. They weren't very big, none larger than his head. All of them were very elaborate, accurate to the smallest detail. He even saw a few sculptures of people in the town.

There was the swordsman, who seemed to be carved rather inaccurately considering he was portrayed in a very lofty stance, quite the opposite of his usual cowardice. A large sword was held high above his head with his right hand. His arm snaked through his long blanket of hair, bare besides a bracelet, similar to his other wrist. His features were carved in a fierce expression, despite the fact his mustache covered the majority of it.

Then there was the mayor as well. His blue hair textured carefully and shaped precisely. Both ends curled downward, similar to the back of the chair he sat upon. His fu manchu mustache and goatee were carefully carved. His features were long and distressed, just like the time Link had seen him in his office when the guards and Mr. Mutoh's Carnival gang were arguing whether the town should evacuate do to the moon crisis. Not even the large ruby ring on his finger was forgotten.

Link even saw the Great Fairy, in all her revealing glory. She stood on her tiptoes, legs together. Her arms were spread out straight above her head. Her normally blonde long hair was separated in 3 hair bands. Her outfit easily showed all of the curlicue designs that, in real life, were gold and black. Not to mention her hands and fingers were incredibly crafted. Link was amazed to say the least.

Link walked to the winding staircase, its steps still the colors of the rainbow. At the bottom he found all the boxes had been cleared out, even the cucco was gone. Link had always wondered why the caged foul was down there anyways...

All that remained was a wooden table filled with various carving tools that seemed to be made of metal at a glance. They were lined up neatly along the upper left corner. Moreover, there was an orange ocarina on the table. It was very small and shaped much like the pendants the pirates use to decorate their clothes and foreheads with. It was the kind of ocarina that you would wear around your neck. It only had four finger holes along with a thick string tied to the side opposite of the mouthpiece. Next to the table was a wooden chair that looked old and worn, as if it had seen many years of vigorous use.

The patch of dirt was also still there, though it didn't hold plants or anything else. Not unlike before. It did have a hole though, as the though the scarecrow still came to visit on occasion. But what really captured Link's attention was the biggest and grandest sculpture he had seen yet.

A horse.

It was tall enough to reach just above Link's knees from the ground and was one of the most magnificent things Link had ever seen. It even rivaled the master sword. It was much larger than all of the statuettes upstairs. Everything was finely detailed from the long flowing mane that looked as if it was blowing in the wind, to the closed eyes' long lashes. The legs and body were proportioned perfectly and its head and tail were raised proudly. It stood with all four hooves on the ground. In Link's opinion, it looked as if the horse was enjoying a refreshing breeze.

If horses could smile, that would be exactly what that statue was doing. The hero tore his gaze from the statuette to do a full circle scan of the room. It appeared as though not a person was there. Which was a real shame, Link wanted the statue. It seemed to be something Malon would like, but he couldn't steal it. All of these objects were so diligently cared for, he had no doubt they were all very precious.

The swordsman vaguely wondered where the old man from before was, but other things were troubling him at the moment. Alva was still on his mind and he worried how long it would be until the artistic owner of these statues would return.

Link was about to head back upstairs and leave, and perhaps leave a note on his way out. Lucky for him that upon arrival he found that a new gateway had been installed sometime in the seven years he'd been gone. This meant he didn't need to hop the fence.

And what a grand gateway it was. It arched gallantly at the top and was crowned with a moonstone carving of the moon. It's ugly grin was very prominent, and its eyes looked foreboding. When Link first saw it he had a sudden, but weak, urge to leave. Now after seeing all that he had, he was glad he didn't.

Another thing he noticed when he caught sight of the Observatory was that the crater from the first moon's tear stone he obtained was still there. It was strange to him that such a strong impact didn't mar the surface of the stone at all.

Link had had his foot on the second step when he realised that he could ask the scarecrow. Link facepalmed and turned back around, pulling out his blue ocarina from his haversack as he did. The hero was about to bring the instrument to his lips when he realised he had forgotten the melody.

Link crossed his arms and considered what song he might have chosen for the scarecrow to 'jam the whole night through' to. He thought of all the songs he had known at that time, and all of the ones that did nothing for him here. Obviously not the song of time or any of its variations.

He played Saria's song, Zelda's lullaby, the song of storms (which caused an unintended thunder flash and a short shower outside) and the sun's song (that luckily fixed the short lapse in good weather). Even the song he played in the Milk Bar that brought Gorman out of his depression. However it did not bring the scarecrow out of the dirt.

Link played every song he knew, all to no avail. The hero sighed and sat down.

It was time to brainstorm.

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Anju was on the verge of tears of frustration. Normally she was a very good natured person, never a poor sport, but even she shouldn't be this awful at something so very conventional.

Why in the world couldn't she hold a simple bow!? Much less get an arrow to shoot out of it!

Malon was also losing her patience. After an hour of brushing up on her skills, Anju asked her for a little tutoring in the art. Malon had been thrilled at the thought of passing along some of her practiced knowledge and talent to a friend.

But for the last disappointing hour they'd been trying to get Anju to hold the bow correctly. And pull the string back.

Anju was incredibly weak...

"Malon, I think we can safely say that... There is no way under Nayru's rule will I ever be able to do this," cried Anju out of sheer exasperation. "Why would you ever need to string a bow this tightly!?"

"No! I swear on Farore's Wind we will get an arrow on that bull's eye! Even if it's the last thing I do! And it makes the arrow fly farther!" replied Malon with failing determination. Either Anju was the most infuriatingly stupid student one could ever have, or Malon was the most incredibly awful teacher that had ever tried this type of tutoring.

Malon refused to believe either of those thoughts, so she none too gently shook them out of her head to continue the grueling task of showing the hotel clerk the proper way to hold a bow.

"Now put your hand here, no not there! On the grip! There, now grab the end of arrow with your middle and pointer fingers. Good Goddesses, Anju! Not like that!"

********(((((((((((((_-_)))))))))))))********

Link had never composed so many songs in one night. Nothing brought the scarecrow outside the soil. The hero knew that whoever lived here had probably changed the song, but there are only so many songs you can play with a pendant ocarina.

He sat down almost gasping for breath, once again turning his attention to the statue at his left. If he didn't know any better, he would have said the horse looked as if it could perk up its ears and look his way.

Link sighed and laid his head back against the wall. He knew it was getting late and that he should be getting back to Clock Town, but he couldn't seem to pick himself up off of that dusty floor.

He looked at his ocarina, studying it for the millionth time in all his years of owning it. He could never get over how sleek it was. If you looked carefully enough at the light blue coat of paint covering the glass instrument, you could see the brushstrokes. All of them were very precise and evenly textured. The finger holes were carefully sized and aligned. And the mouthpiece was shaped almost as though it were made for Link.

Though plain compared to most, the hero believed that this single ocarina was perfect. All it was decorated with was the small golden Triforce symbol engraved right above the mouthpiece, and that, in his opinion, was all that it needed. Link brought it to his lips once more, and played. He was not entirely sure what notes he playing, it was mostly instinctive wherever his fingers would move. The melody was slow but cheerful. It wasn't different then the majority of his music, but this one seemed rather special. He didn't know exactly why though, it just was.

When his last breath brought the final note, Link put the instrument back into his haversack, closing his eyes for the moment.

Until he heard clapping.

Link's gaze shot to the Bomber Boys' entrance. There stood a young woman, about 20, leaning against the opening in the wall. She was very beautiful. With long and curly black hair falling past her shoulders (slightly damp for obvious reasons...) and down to her waist. Her lips were a ruby red and she looked very well built. Her rather large chest shook slightly as she let out a chuckle. Her well built and frame would have suggested she were a Gerudo or a pirate of Great Bay Coast had she not sported black hair instead of red. Even the sparsely scattered freckles along her nose and tanned skin seemed to point to the other option.

The woman was clothed in a long red skirt, spotted with darker spots from the rain no doubt, that went to her ankles and black top that was similar in design to rogue womens' society. Her jewelry included 6 gold earrings, four in her left ear and two in the other, they were rings that encircled the skin of the appendages. And an anklet above each of her bare feet. She was smirking and bobbing her head to the music that was no longer playing.

"Not that I didn't enjoy your performance," she began. "But why are you in my Observatory?"

"Waiting for you, I suppose," Link replied while getting up from his spot by the wall. "I wanted to ask if that horse was for sale."

"You mean the horse that I've been slaving over for the last 4 years? The one that is no doubt covered with all my blood, sweat and tears? The one that I've had to replace all of my utensils for? Twice?" the woman asked with sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Well I wouldn't know, I've haven't been here to oversee the entire process of making it. I'm only here to try and find a gift for my friend. This one was the most likely candidate, but if it isn't up for grabs, then that's all you have to say."

"Why in Din's name would you come in here anyways?" she asked, letting her anger slowly become visible. "Who told you that any of this was here?"

"That's not important. I'm sorry, I haven't been here in seven years. At that time-"

"Yeah, yeah. The old man let everyone and anyone inside. He died 6 years ago, I took over after that," she spoke kind of coldly if you took into consideration the fact that she was talking about a man's death.

"But if you really want a statue, almost any one that you see upstairs is available. There's only one way you're gonna get this one, and I seriously doubt you could."

"I'm open-minded, why not let me give it a try?" Link responded. He doubted he could ever find something quite as perfect for Malon.

"Look, if you're not gonna buy anything, leave. I'm not in any mood to tell you anything."

Link sighed. "Alright. I'll get out of your hair. For now. I do intend to come back."

With that the swordsman walked past her and down the old tunnel. At this point, he just wanted to get back and at least spend a little time with Malon.

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"Oh my. Oh dear. Good goddesses. Malon. I did it," Anju said in complete and utter disbelief.

Malon, on the other hand, was ecstatic.

"Anju! You did it! I told you! I told you you could do it! Excellent job, Anju! Amazing! You did it!"

The shop owner looked over in awe.

"H-how...? She wasn't even pulling the string..." his confusion was apparent.

Anju shot him a glance of bafflement. "What do you mean? I did exactly what she told me to!"

"It's fine, Anju you did very good!" Malon then turned to the shop owner and asked, "So how much do we owe you?"

"Considering you've been here for the past 2 and a half hours using Din only knows how many arrows of mine," he said after glancing at the clock. "I'd say about 250 rupees."

Both Malon's and Anju's jaws dropped, for different reasons.

"Y-y-y-you... Are you serious?" questioned Anju with disbelief. "We've been here for 2 hours!?" she screeched."Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," cried Anju monotonously. "Mother will be so furious. So angry. Oh Malon, I've gotta go!"

During her rant the rancher girl had been trying to calm her down. Shushing her and patting her back. That is, until Anju shot out of her arms and out the door, running down the paved brick road back to South Clock Town. Malon was about to head out after her when she felt a hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

She slowly turned around to see the large man holding out an expectant hand. His expression was grim.

"I said, 'two hundred and fifty rupees.'" he told her in a gruff manner. "Need I spell it out for you any more?"

Malon gave an exaggerated gulp, and a small simper.

MMMMMvvvvvvvToTYToTvvvvvvvMM MMM

Link walked through the short and narrow walkway. He wasn't particularly surprised to see that the balloon wasn't at the top of the ladder anymore. When he reached the entrance, the hero jumped off the ledge like he did when he was a child. Actually using the weak piece of wood usually turned out to be a tedious and useless task. The impact of leaping off the ledge didn't hurt.

Link walked to the center of the larger room and did a full circle. Nothing had changed all that much. The pots lay in broken shambles. _It's a pity there are no rupees among the remains_, he thought to himself.

In the corner to the left of the stairs was a large pile of moonstones. They weren't large. Most were actually rather small compared to the statues brick walls still held the somewhat greenish tinge and the remaining pieces of the old blue balloon were strewn across the floor. Link smiled slightly, remembering how this 'secret passage' used to look when he was a child.

Link looked down for a moment, basking in the innocent parts of that time. He walked to the stairs on the other side of the room, then ran up the the brick steps. He turned the corner of the next small hallway and found himself face to face with a skulltula. Link chuckled and faintly wondered how the spider always seemed to revive itself no matter how many times if fell off of it's web and turned to ashes at his feet.

The hero pulled his blade from over his left shoulder. He waited patiently for the spider to give a shake then turn around and make itself vulnerable.

That was another thing Link would ponder occasionally. Why would they show their weaknesses so carelessly when it would obviously lead to imminent death? Not that it bothered him all that much. It was just something that would make him wonder. The hero ran the titanic arachnid through and pulled the weapon out to sheathe it again once more.

When finished, Link looked to his right and saw that water still flowed in the cranny on the floor, though not quite as clean as it was before. He walked towards the wall opposite him and turned to the 3 platforms strategically placed in the water. After jumping from each one to the other ledge he found that the torch on elevated ground in front of the opening in the wall wasn't lit. He looked at it for a moment, then he walked up the ramp that lead outside.

Another addition to the tunnel was that there was a new door. It was simple and wooden, but locked from the inside. An uncomplicated lock that didn't take much knowledge to pick, Link certainly could. But luckily there was a small wooden key for it that hung on a hook on the wall.

It was a relief to hear the hustle and bustle of Clock Town once more. By the looks of the activity Link thought it was about early evening, at its busiest. He hadn't taken more than a step forward when he saw Anju rushing through the crowd, apparently trying to get to the Stock Pot Inn. He saw her push the door open and quickly shut it behind her.

Link wondered where Malon was though, he had expected her to be with Anju. He looked in the direction she came from. It appeared to be East Clock. He knew, that if she was with Malon in East Clock Town, than she must have been at the Shooting Gallery.

And so he set out in that direction.

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When Link entered East Clock Town he made his way through the people and headed towards the shooting gallery's wooden door. When he opened it he was met with the familiar sight of the blue room. There was the burly man behind the counter still. He didn't look much different, he still had a hairy chest and very hairy arms. Also his mullet was still obvious, and his vest looked as though it hadn't seen a single wash in ages. His lips were very prominent and he had 2 rings, one on each ring finger. He hadn't changed at all beside the fact that his dark brown hair was laced with grey hairs.

There wasn't any difference in the room itself either. The walls and floors were still blue, and there were still 3 steps leading up to the shooting range. There were 6 lamps lining the walls, 3 on each side, the backdrop was much the same too. Besides the fact that it looked a bit more worn and was torn in a few places do to the octoroks that lived in the pool splashing, it was the same. With only one palm tree on a small beach with the ocean in the background, the quaint little poster looked almost exactly the same.

Even behind the counter there was still a lifesaver hooked on the wall along with a cone sitting on the floor to the man's right. Even the hook on the wall. However, there was one thing that Link saw that he was absolutely positive he had never seen in the gallery before.

Malon suddenly looking at him then wading her way through the pool filled with purple and blue monsters and charging across the way while dropping octorok feed on the blue tiled floor.

"Oh my dear Din, Link! Please, oh please get me out of this penitentiary! Good Goddesses, tell me you have 250 rupees!" she pleaded.

""""""""""""""...""""""""""""""

Thank you so much, Link! I didn't think I would ever get out of there! That man was really creepy," chattered Malon while Link nodded his head absentmindedly.

He couldn't get his mind off of the sculpture, and the woman, and how much the Observatory had changed. Link wondered if he should tell Malon about Alva, but it seemed to be something that would only put a damper on the week. It didn't really matter all that much yet anyways. If Alva got aggressive than he the hero may actually have to cut his visit short. He couldn't be doing any serious fighting with Malon around, that would be too dangerous! Link was pulled out of his thoughts by Malon.

"Hello. Hello? Hello! Earth to Link! Where are you, Fairy Boy? 'Cause you're certainly not here with me," Malon chided.

"Sorry, Malon. What were you saying?" Link apologised quickly. She sighed.

"Nevermind, Link. What should we do now?" the rancher girl questioned. She didn't want to end a bad day like this. Link thought for a moment, running all of the possibilities through his mind. There wasn't much left in Clock Town to show Malon, and the dungeons didn't seem like the choicest place to spend the evening. Plus it would take too long to get back... They had already been to the ranch and he didn't plan to go and visit them again for a day or so...

Then it struck him.

"Do you want to go for a ride? We could check Epona and Eponin, go for a ride. I could show you around Termina!"

"That sounds awesome!" she replied.

"You should probably bring something warm though," Link said with thoughts of the Northern part of Termina on his mind.

"Alright..."

))))))))+++++======~~~======+++++((((((((

Ten minutes later Malon and Link were riding out the exit from East Clock Town. As Link played Epona's song Malon was looking in awe at all 8 of the large pillars protruding from the ground. As soon as Eponin was close enough the red haired woman leaped on her back and set off at a full gallop to get a closer look. The hero followed soon after.

Malon didn't know much about construction or brickwork, but she knew enough to see the fine craftsmanship and work put into the large columns. When Link caught up he saw Malon was chuckling.

"What's so funny?" he questioned. Malon pointed to a man standing atop one of the pillars in front of the Observatory. His legs were far apart and he was waving his arms up and down. Link laughed to remembering the first time he'd seen that man, and the others scattered around the field to reveal secrets he wouldn't have found otherwise.

Malon set off again towards the Observatory and panic flashed through Link's eyes. Link kicked his heels lightly and intercepted her with Epona's easy speed. Eponin reared and backed off.

"What did you do that for!?" cried Malon.

"The woman who lives there doesn't like visitors," he replied quickly.

"What do you mean, Link? You said you hadn't been here in 7 years," protested the girl.

"Well I've been here recently and she wasn't very happy."

Malon frowned. She obviously didn't believe Link.

"Come on!" he said. "I want to show you something over this way."

Link immediately charged off North. A smile broke Malon's frown and she raced after. Soon after passing all of the stone structures, the terrain changed from dry grass to blinding white snow. It was then Malon understood why Link had told her to dress warm.

As the horses carried them across the frigid ground, to Malon's surprise, large piles of snow started moving and actually threw snowballs at the two. She gasped in surprise when she looked again and saw that they actually sported faces! The creatures had large yellow eyes and long arms. Despite the notion of danger, Malon chuckled when she realised that their large lips reminded her of the Shooting Gallery owner.

They threw more snowballs as if they understood and were upset by her reasons for giggling.

"Looks like we're getting a visit from the Eenos," Link shouted over the noise from the sudden onslaught of snow.

He grinned and charged ahead once more. Malon watched in amazement as Epona ran over an eeno with ease, not even receiving a scratch or scuff from the pathetic monster. Malon gave a grin of her own and set off after him.

Together they ran past the snow capped trees and the even larger piles of the fluffy substance until they reached the sands of the way that lead to Great Bay. This area wasn't entirely unfamiliar to Malon, they had gone to the beach earlier that week. Yet she was excited to linger a while.

Similar to what they did to the Eenos, Malon and Link charged over the explosive mice that the hero called Bombchus. She had enjoyed that especially.

Finally when they reached the small pool of water near the entrance to Milk Road, the two decided to give Epona and Eponin a break. As soon as they dismounted their steeds though, the Leevers exited their hiding places beneath the earth to attack. Malon gasped in fright but Link was prepared. He took hold of the reigns of both horses and pulled them to wade in the water, pulling in Malon as well. With nothing left to attack the creatures submerged the earth once more and Malon breathed a stifled sigh of relief.

When she turned around she saw Link had pulled a brush from Epona's saddlebag and was giving her a brush down. The mare whinnied in appreciation. Malon gave a small smile and walked to Eponin's other side, the side that had the saddlebag that held her brush. On her way she gave Epona a gentle pat on the rump and proceeded to pamper her pony as well.

And there the two stood in companionable silence, enjoying the nice weather the evening brought. Every now and then the two mares gave a small neigh of thanks for the gentle treatment. When Malon finished combing Eponin's coat, she walked back to the saddlebag and pulled out a wide toothed comb and continued the action with her horse's chestnut colored tail. Not too long after Link did the same for Epona.

Malon suddenly recalled a time when she was very young and her father, Talon, had asked her to brush the horses of the ranch. She had been very excited, not worried in the least. All of them were very docile around her knowing well that she was still a child. Malon had been had made sure to brush every coat of each horse very thoroughly and was about to head outside when she passed Epona and saw how horribly tangled the hair of her tail was.

Malon immediately ran to her and proceeded to comb each and every snarl away with the brush. Every now and then she would have to wipe her hand on her skirt do to several hairs falling out, but the girl paid little attention due to the fact she was daydreaming about the praise she would receive from her father when she finished.

When Malon could run her fingers through Epona's tail without encountering a single knot, she moved on to the stallion in the next stall, Jaak. After a few strokes of the brush her father entered the barn and saw what she was doing. He immediately charged towards her and snatched the tool from her fingers. Malon's eyes widened in confusion.

"Malon you must never ever use a brush on a horses tail," he began. "That will pull out the long hairs and it takes years for them to grow back."

"W-w-what do you mean?" she questioned as tears sprung to her eyes.

"Come here," he motioned and brought her to an older mare.

"You see how long her tail is?" he asked. Malon nodded."Well that's because you should never use a brush on a horses tail. If it's knotted you use your fingers, and maybe even a wide toothed comb."

Malon had calmed down a little while he explained things, mainly because he had guided her hands to the mare's tail and had shown her what to do. When Talon looked down and saw that she had gotten the hang of it he gave a big pat on the back and a congratulations.

"See? That's how you do it!" he exclaimed. Then he looked up and saw the older girl's coat.

"Why, Malon, you've done an excellent job of brushing their coats. I don't think I've ever seen them quite so glossy before in my life!" he proclaimed. The child beamed with pride.

Malon smiled to herself at the memory. Link, on the other hand, hadn't been daydreaming, he had been studying Malon. He watched with his own smile. Her expressions changed rather comically from smile, to frown, to grimace, to smile again. Otherwise she seemed very relaxed and... Happy.

Malon was pulled from her musings when she noticed Link looking at her. She watched him for a moment. During a second he looked as if he was about to say something important, but changed his mind. Link looked down and saw Epona shifting her hooves. She looked restless. Link donned a thoughtful expression for a moment, then looked back at Malon and asked;

"Are you ready to head back to Clock Town?" He had just noticed how dark it was getting. Malon then looked up and saw stars were coming out and twinkling, trying to make their presence known. The sight evoked a long, jawcracking yawn from her throat. Link grinned.

"I'll take that as a yes."

(*o*) (\/)!_!(\/)(^.^)(\/)!_!(\/) (*o*)

When Link and Malon had Malon had entered South Clock Town again they were met with the sight of a small gathering of people watching something. However they couldn't figure out what do to the crowd blocking their view."Ooohh, Link! Let's go see what they're doing!" suggested Malon with excitement that seemed to have summoned itself out of nowhere. She had been exhausted not even a minute ago.

Link however, was not nearly as excited. He recognised that music. It was slow and simple, very mysterious and played by a piccolo. Link wanted nothing to do with the owners of that song when Malon was around...

"I'm really not in the mood, Mal-" she tugged him to the front of the crowd to get a closer look. She was elated when she saw the beautiful carnival dancers playing their most famous dance. The one that had been taught to them by a certain hero wearing the kamaro mask.

Link looked off to the side and tried to cover his eyes, trying not to draw attention to failing miserably. The dancers spotted him immediately and ceased their mesmerising dance to idolise their master once more by falling to their knees in front of him.

"Oh it's you! It's really you master!" cried the girl in blue with excitement.

"It's been so long! Where did you go? Where have you been?" the girl in red interrogated.

Without dancers the music stopped and most people watched the spectacle with interest. Others dispersed, not caring to involve themselves with such gossip. But Malon however, was very interested she waited to see how Link would react.

Suddenly the girls got off of their knees and pulled Link towards the clearing where they had been dancing.

"Dance with us!" they exclaimed.

Malon's ear perked up at this. She let out a loud laugh at the very thought of Link dancing. The two carnival dancers looked upset that someone would laugh at their master's talent.

"Yes, Link! Dance with them! I want to see this!" Malon chortled.

"Girls, I can't-" his "students" interrupted him by telling their piccolo player to play again and they pulled Link between them and prepared to start the dance. Link sighed and quickly joined the ready position, then, when the music reached the correct note, he danced with them.

He lept from foot to foot, right hand by his face, moving with gracefulness and fluidity. Then he crouched down and swayed back and forth with both hands in front of him as though he were holding a ball. Malon was amazed at how he was completely synchronised with the women's movements. She watched in awe as stood up and swung full circle on his right foot.

When they finished the two women turned him and started clapping.

"You're still so cool master!" they clarioned.

Malon clapped too, along with the rest of the crowd. She laughed again but her thoughts on the inside were along the lines of, _Why didn't Link ever tell me he could dance!?_ and _Where in the world did he learn to do that!?_

He quickly walked back towards Malon, completely prepared to beg for the sake of getting away from the two carnival dancers. However, Malon beat him to it.

"Okay, Lover Boy. We can go back to the hotel now," she said with a good natured smile.

Link just nodded and followed her when she turned around and headed towards Stock Pot Inn, thanking the Goddesses for Malon not getting upset with him. Again...

"Link, how come you never told me you could dance?" questioned Malon as she prepared herself for bed. Brushing her long red hair after having washed it during her bath.

Link thought about it for a moment while he took off his boots.

"It never came up, I guess. It's rare that a reason to dance comes up on the ranch," he replied.

"Think you could teach that dance to me sometime?" asked Malon hopefully. She was dealing with a particularly difficult knot that she couldn't quite reach with her brush. Link looked over and saw her troubles.

"I suppose I could," he answered. The hero then walked towards the rancher girl and took the brush from her. He sat behind her on her bed and started to gently work out the snarl. Malon sighed, content.

It didn't take long for Link to finish the task, but he continued none the less, enjoying the feel of her silky locks. Such a deep shade of red, a color that really fit everything Malon was.

As if on a whim, Link put down the brush and pulled Malon against his chest. She squeaked in surprise and tensed up slightly as he held her close, then she relaxed and turned her head to look into his eyes. She could never get over how gorgeous they were. Such a brilliant blue. Nothing like her eyes thatwere more of greyish blue.

Link admired her beauty. Her flawless skin, her dainty nose, her full red lips. Link wanted nothing more than to give them a taste. Link hesitated, then leaned down slowly, not wanting to startle the woman in his arms. Yet she was anything but, Malon leaned in as well.

As they were about to touch a knock was heard at the door. The two froze, perhaps hoping that whoever was at their door would burst into the flames of Din.

"Malon, you dropped a shoe in the washroom," called Anju through the door. Malon inaudibly groaned and Link fell back on the bed in exasperation.

The rancher girl got up to go to the door and retrieve her missing article. Link got up and walked over to his bed, letting out a yawn of exhaustion. Anju quickly left, sensing the irritation clouding the room. Malon sighed and let out a yawn of her own.

She shut the door and went back to her bed, murmuring a small 'goodnight' to the hero. He only grunted in response.

It was going to be a long night.

66666666666699999999999

**God I hope you guys can't tell I kinda gave in the last few scenes. I am soooo tired. This is hands down the best thing I've ever written, (sad isn't it...) and holy fuck it took forever. Sorry for the long wait, but updates should be a bit more regular now that I've broken the ice.**

**There originally was a lemon in place of Anju's interruption, but no, not doing that yet.**

**Yet.**

**G'night everybody! (You are awesome if you can tell me where that's from.)**


	9. AN

**So here's an official update for all my readers without accounts, I am gonna rewrite the shit outta this story. There is stuff I need to fix and change in order to make an ending even possible. Once I do the repost, which will be every single rewritten chapter at once (be patient), you'll actually need to read it, otherwise stuff won't make sense.**

**I've already told any of those who favorited, followed and reviewed personally. So, unless I missed you (which I truly apologize if I did), this probably isn't any news. **

**Chapter 1 edit is well under way, and things are already really looking up. I'm feeling really enthusiastic so I hope this news isn't going to be taken badly by any of you awesome folks. **

**And last but not least, it has been brought to my attention by a few of those concerned, that some may think I might actually give up on this fic! That's ridiculous guys! I wouldn't ever do that! Ever! This thing will be finished if it fucking kills me. Alright? Alright. **

**There's the gist of it, rewrite/edit update. If you guys want, I'll tell you what chapters I'm rewriting at the moment if you want me to. Anytime, just ask, and I'm totally willing to tell ya.**

_**CHAPTER ONE EDIT IS DONE!**_


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